Vormundism Creation Myth
I. The Creation of the Universe Before time, there was nothing of any substance. No light, no air; there was no water or earth, and no warmth. All there was was the god. No one created the god, nothing formed the god, the god simply was. There was nothing else like the god. In his loneliness he decided to create the universe, and conceived the passage of time to allow for growth and change, birth and death. He first made an endless sea of space, for such vastness is required to contain the complexities of even one living soul. In the black void of open space, he hung the stars and the sun, and he fashioned the earth as an artist makes art. It was a great work, the earth, but it was barren then, and there was no life upon it. So he created the seas, and those waters he let flow into the land and feed the seeds of life. Having made a paradise of plants, he populated it with animals. But the animals weren't his equal in thought and will, much less power. They kept each other in check, killing and consuming one another even as they propagated themselves, but they existed for no other reason than survival. The god sought to make a being which would exist for the purpose of loving him. From marble he derived flesh and gave it a spirit of its own. This was the first Exekian, Embal. Because of his physical nature, Embal could neither see nor hear the god. Regardless, Embal sensed the god and knew that he had made him. In awe, he bowed down in worship, and called him Akhen, meaning 'Creator of the Universe'. II. The Exekians The god loved Embal, but Embal grew envious of the god's powers, for he had none. "Why have you created me like you, but weak and powerless?" he complained. "Are you so selfish that you have made me for yourself, helpless and dependent on you forever?" So Akhen created a companion for Embal. This was the first female Exekian, Callidora. He made her Embal's equal, and they loved one another. But over time they each grew weary of the other, and wary of their place in the universe. Again, Embal complained to the god, "You have made a paradise for me, and you have given me a companion, and yet I still grow bored. You do not understand me, for you have all the power of the universe, where I have none. I wish I had the ability to create, so that I would no longer have to come to you and ask for favors. I would be your equal." The god chastised Embal, "I knew your every thought before time began. Without me, there is nothing. Only I hold the power of creation." But Akhen had anticipated Embal's resentment, and soon after Callidora bore a child. At last, the two possessed some semblance of Akhen's power of creation, for they had borne a being after themselves, although the god had been the one to quicken the womb. III. The Selkies The first child born of flesh was called Monaxia. The birth was difficult, and Callidora suffered greatly in it. When she became pregnant again, she despaired and pleaded with Akhen, “What must I do to be free of this punishment?” “It is no punishment,” Akhen said. “But if you so desire, I will make you a pelt of new skin. If you wear the skin and go into the sea, you will flow free of man and child.” To this she agreed, and so Akhen made her a seal skin. She wore the skin and walked into the ocean, where she was transformed into a selkie. The child in her womb was also transformed, so that when he was born, he was a selkie like her. His name was Goran, and all selkies are descended from him. When Goran was grown, he shed his skin and walked on land, where he went in search of a wife. Eventually he came to his father’s house, although he did not know Embal was his father. Embal embraced him and took him in, giving him clothes to wear and food to eat. He was glad to see his son, but even in his happiness he cried out to the god, “Why have you allowed my wife to leave me and her firstborn? Why do you not return her to me as well?” “I do not control the will of my creations,” replied Akhen. “Though what she did was foolish, you should not expect her to weep and ask forgiveness from you, nor does she want to return to the land. If you wish it of me, I will make you a new bride, but this one will only be able to have one child every half of an era." Embal agreed to this, and Akhen created a new female, called Droxine, who bore but one child with each half of an era. She bore him a son, Kasimir, from whom the race of the Exekians are descended. IV. The Humans For the three sons of Embal, the god made each a bride. Thus were many generations born who knew not death. In their immortality, the Exekians became fickle and malcontent, and they began to squabble among themselves over land and wealth. Because they could not destroy each other, they laid waste to the world around them, rending the seas, scraping the skies, and scarring the earth. Monaxia, the firstborn of Embal, even set fire to his own father’s work, burning his fields and turning his home to ash. Akhen was displeased with their behavior. They were devoted only to their own selfish desires, and had forgotten their purpose was to love. So he went to the dwelling place of Monaxia and spoke to him. "Who has time for love when you're immortal?" Monaxia told him. "Love grows sour as time marches on. It isn't worth the trouble to begin with if it never lasts." "Love is eternal," Akhen revealed. "You've allowed your senses to overturn it. If that is so, you cannot spend your whole existence in this form. There must be a fruition—an apotheosis." He touched Monaxia, and the Exekian shuddered. His body warped and transformed, his limbs distorting and his countenance faltering. When the metamorphosis was complete, Monaxia had become a mortal man. Akhen called to Lostris, Monaxia's lover. When she saw what had happened, she was afraid. "Come, Lostris," Akhen said, but in her fear she turned to run. He stretched out his hand and she was struck down, her body having changed in an instant, overcome by the same alterations as her lover. So Monaxia and Lostris became the first humans, the first mortals. Thus death was introduced into the world, and Akhen, who is deathless, could no longer walk upon the earth. V. The War Without End Mortal, doomed, and much chastened, the first humans spread far and wide. With their shortened lifespans their fertility increased, and soon every corner of the world was populated by their kind. They have names for their people, and tongues which only they understand. And wherever there are humans, there is both fairness and foulness. The Exekians built no ships and sailed to no foreign lands. Among them there were no explorers of the seas, for this was the domain of the selkies; they kept to themselves, preferring to dominate their isle, and among them there were many petty kings and queens, all vying for power. The humans and the Exekians fought bitterly with one another whenever they came into contact. It was the desire of the Exekians to enslave the humans, whom they viewed as lowly and fit only for servitude because of their mortality. To avoid the fate of slavery, the humans tried many times to eradicate the Exekians as they were weakened in their kluuda, and they made no distinctions between the killing of the old and of the young. So the war went on without end, and the earth was watered with red and silver blood.